Sheathed fuse



May 26, 1953 P. H. THOMPSON SHEATHED FUSE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed May 5, 1945 May 26, 1953 P. H, THOMPSON 2,639,669

SHEATI-IED FUSE Original Filed May 5, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.7.

/ 37 4, GTH OF'TAPER H 3Q 6 u A a z: 9 l I 39 6 M H 4/ 3 597 K47 cessible (and other openings in the body).

Patented May 26, 1953 SHEATHED FUSE Far-kc H. Thompson, Kirkwood, Mo., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Marion L. J. Lambert, doing business as Crystal-Flo Products Company, St. Louis, Mo.

, Qriginal application May 5, 1945, Serial No. 592,131. Divided and this application October 21, 1949, Serial No. 122,818

1 Claim.

This invention relates to sheathed bodies, particularly sheathed fuzes such as are attached to projectiles, and sheaths therefor. This application is a division of my copending application for Fuze, Serial No. 592,131, filed May 51945, now Patent 2,564,797, dated August 21, 19 1.

The invention particularly pertains to a fuze of a type comprising a fuze body, adapted for application to a projectile, containing a detonating charge and mechanism whereby the fuze may be set for point detonation, or left unarmed for base detonation of the projectile. This mechanism includes a selector in the fuze body which is accessible through an opening in the side of the body and operable by a tool inserted into the opening. To protect the detonating charge and the mechanism within the fuze body until the time of use, the fuze body is provided with a sheath of this invention, the sheath hermetically sealing the fuze, covering the opening in the fuze body through which the selector is ac To allow for readily setting the fuze for pointdetonation, without requiring removal of the sheath, 3

the portion of the sheath which covers the access opening in the fuze body is indented and made of such reduced thickness that it may be readily punctured by the tool for manipulating the selector. Thus, while the fuze is hermetically sealed by the sheath, the fuze may be quickly and efficiently set for pointdetonation without any necessity for removing the sheath. It wil1 be understood that while the invention is particularly applicable to fuzes, as herein disclosed, it is ap .plicable to'devices other than fuzes Where herwill be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claim.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a sheathed fuze embodying the invention, the fuze being shown in an unarmed or safe condition of its parts;

Fig. 2 is aview similar 'to Fig. 1 showing in 2 solid lines the parts in armed condition during flight after having been set for point detonation, and showing in dotted lines a firing condition;

Fig. 3 is a right-end view of Fig. 1 with the fuze sheath or cover removed;

Fig. 4 is a cross section of the sheath or cover before application to the fuze;

Fig. 5 is an oblique elevation viewed from line 55 adjacent to Fig. l, but viewed with the point of the fuze up;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary cross section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a, fragmentary view taken on line 1-4 of Fig. 3 with internal parts removed;

Fig. 8 is a detail plan view of a selector cup;

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of said cup viewed from line 9-9 of Fig. 8, parts being shown in section;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the selector cup, being viewed from line Ill-l0 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 is a crosssection taken on line H-H of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 12 is a detail plan view of a rotor viewed from the right in Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. p

The invention is applicable to all rotary ammunition, including that for 20 mm. to 16 diameter guns, rifled mortars, rotating rockets, etc. The fuze is point detonating, and is to be used in connection with ammunition that is also base detonating and is provided with means for selectively determining point or base detonation.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1, at numeral l is shown a tapered fuze body or head having a threaded shank '3 for application to the threaded end of a shell, rocket or the like suggested by the dotted lines. The shell or the equivalent, as is usual, carries the main explosive charge to be detonated by the fuze, and it also carries a booster charge directly behind the shank 3. It is this booster charge that the detonator charge of the present fuze sets off. The shank 3 is hollow and is interiorly threaded to receive a threaded retainer 5. This retainer has spanner sockets I with which a spanner wrench may cooperate for threading the retainer to its seat. Through the retainer is located a central passage 9 for transmitting to the booster charge the effect of the detonator charge when fired in the fuze. At the forward end of this passage 9 the retainer 5 is formed as a spherical seat I I for seating a spherical safety rotor l3.

The rotor |3rhas a bore 15 along an axis which depression I which is parallel to the position of the slot I9 when the selector cup is set into its locking position, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5. This position is crosswise of the axis of the projectile as a whole. For convenience, index characters of Off and S. Q. are set at 90 intervals around the target 99, indicating two alternative settings. The index Oil is opposite one end of the depression I05 and means that point detonation will not occur, but instead base detonation if the projectile is equipped for it. The index S. Q. means super-quick, or point detonation.

The fuze is assembled as shown in Fig. 1, wherein it is statically safe. This is because the rotor I3 is positively locked by the selector pin 23 and by the safety pin 35. There is no conceivable practical condition of handling the projectile on which the fuze is located which would cause the rotor to turn into its armed position. Furthermore, since the entire fuze is hermetically sealed, it will remain in operating condition indefinitely since no moisture can enter to initiate corrosion of the parts or to accelerate deterioration of the detonator.

If the ammunition is to be fired for base detonation, that is, slightly delayed action at the target, nothing at all is done to the selector cup adjustment, the portion I03 being left untouched at the Ofi setting.

If it is desired to render the fuze point detonating prior to firing, a screw driver or the like is applied to the groove I05 and punched in through the embossing I03, whereupon it will enter the aligned slots I9 in cup I5. A quarter turn clockwise to the S. Q. position of the selector cup will then cause the groove 85 to pull up the selector guide pin 81. This pin being in the slot I3 prevents the selector pin 23 from rotating but withdraws it from the counterbore 2|. Rotation of the screw driver proceeds easily because the material I03 will tear upon rotation. Since the cup 15 has a tight frictional fit in the opening II, it will retain the superquick (S. Q.) adjustment in which the rotor is released for subsequent arming. Nevertheless the projectile is still safe because of the locking action on the rotor I3 of the still locked safety sleeve 35.

Operation of the firing mechanism of the fuze is described in detail in the parent application Serial No. 592,131.

The invention provides a hermetically-sealed sheath or cover for a construction adapted selectively to be set one way or another on the inside, which may be reached by a hermetically sealing but frangible portion on said cover. The fuze is absolutely foolproof until set, and then it is very bore safe.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

A point-detonating fuze for a projectile comprising a generally conical fuze body having means at its base for attaching the fuze to the front of a projectile, an opening at the point of the fuze body and point-detonating fuze mechanism within said body adapted for impact actuation through said opening, a tool-operated adjustable mechanism within the body accessible through an opening in the side of the body, and a hermetically-sealing metal sheath clinched over the rear of the fuze body and covering said body including the openings at the front and side, the portion of the sheath that covers the point-detonating mechanism being of such thickness as to permit impact actuation of the mechanism through the opening, and the portion of the sheath that covers the adjustable mechanism being formed as an integral indented portion of such reduced thickness as to allow for its puncture by a tool for manipulating the adjustable mechanism.

PARKE H. THOMPSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,552,435 Johnson Sept. 8, 1925 1,850,196 Bardsley Mar. 22, 1932 2,477,540 Hurley July 26, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 129,041 Great Britain July 10, 1919 

